News across Santa Cruz County
Lookout Santa Cruz
Published September 18California’s tough on crime law promised treatment. Here’s why people are falling through the cracks
California's Proposition 36 gave certain people facing criminal charges an option to have their cases dropped if they complete drug treatment. Now, counties are on their own to figure out how to provide it.
Lookout Santa Cruz
Published September 17Best of Santa Cruz County entertainment, arts & food events this weekend, Sept. 17-20
Lend a hand to care for and beautify county beaches at the Annual Coastal Cleanup Day . On Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, more than 50 cleanup efforts will be held at beaches, rivers and waterways throughout the Monterey Bay area. The effort aims to remove litter from natural…
Lookout Santa Cruz
Published September 17Santa Cruz Police Chief Bernie Escalante retiring after 30 years of service, nearly five as police chief
Chief Bernie Escalante is retiring from the Santa Cruz Police Department after more than 30 years of service with the organization, the city announced on Thursday morning. Escalante assumed the role of acting police chief in October 2021 following the departure of former police…
Lookout Santa Cruz
Published September 17Thursday evening traffic: Highway 9 lane closures, Hwy 1 paving in Capitola
Thursday traffic trouble spots in and around Santa Cruz County.
Lookout Santa Cruz
Published September 17‘Music is in my blood’: Santana singer Andy Vargas returns to Watsonville for Santa Cruz County Fair performance with his dad
➤ Para leer el artículo en español, haga clic aquí . When Watsonville native Andy Vargas first performed at the Santa Cruz County Fair at 7 years old, he never could have imagined returning to that same exact stage decades later for a homecoming show.
Lookout Santa Cruz
Published September 17I’m running against Gail Pellerin: We need to hold onto the heart of Santa Cruz by revising recent housing laws
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here . Growing up on the Peninsula, I always felt Santa Cruz held a kind of mystique. Known for its funky vibe, rock and roll shows at The Catalyst, artists and wanderers…
Lookout Santa Cruz
Published September 17‘La música está en mi sangre’: el cantante de Santana, Andy Vargas, regresa a Watsonville para presentarse con su padre en la Feria del Condado de Santa Cruz
Andy Vargas, cantante principal de Santana, regresará a su ciudad natal de Watsonville para presentarse el viernes por la noche en la Feria del Condado de Santa Cruz. Su padre, el reconocido músico de mariachi Javier Vargas, lo acompañará en el escenario. The post ‘La música está…
Lookout Santa Cruz
Published September 17The tradition continues: Opening day at the Santa Cruz County Fair
The Santa Cruz County Fair is back, bringing five days of rides, livestock, food, music and community celebrations to Watsonville. Victoria, 6, from Watsonville, holds up carrots from an agricultural box for kids at the fairgrounds. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz…
Lookout Santa Cruz
Published September 17How the most powerful woman in California government is making her mark on the Legislature
While state Sen. Monique Limón doesn’t have a blockbuster legislative victory to show for her first year as pro tem, her biggest win so far is her popularity with Senate colleagues. Unlike her predecessor, who was known as a micromanager, Limón’s egalitarian, “govern by…
Lookout Santa Cruz
Published September 17Letter to the editor: AB 715 creates a perverse hierarchy of protection
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here . I disagree with Gil Stein’s op-ed, “ What California’s new antisemitism law means for Santa Cruz County schools ,” and his support for Assembly Bill 715 .
Lookout Santa Cruz
Published September 16Inside Lookout: What’s ahead this fall, from election coverage to a new arts correspondent
From a new arts correspondent to a newsroom gearing up for election season, there’s a lot ahead at Lookout Santa Cruz this fall. Executive Editor Richard Martin shares what’s new, what the newsroom is working on and how you can connect with the journalists behind the coverage.
Lookout Santa Cruz
Published September 16No endorsement in Santa Cruz mayor race as Democratic Central Committee splits on candidates
For the second time this year, the Santa Cruz County Democratic Central Committee will not endorse a candidate for Santa Cruz mayor , leaving Ami Chen Mills and Ryan Coonerty without the backing of the local Democratic Party organization heading into November. Voting members of…